Week 1:
Monday Aug. 31: (EMAIL STUDENTS DURING WEEK BEFORE) Online assignment: Monitor your websites and news sources and write a post on the class blog listing the three top stories each for local, national and international news. Explain in the post why you think the stories are important and whether you think the stories were covered effectively.
Wednesday Sept. 2: Intro to class – discuss news outlets.
Week 2:
(Monday, Sept. 7 – no classes, Labor Day)
Wednesday, Sept. 9: First Amendment/principles of journalism
Thursday, Sept. 10 (Monday schedule): Online assignment — How well did the news media cover the Bill Cosby rape allegations?
- Do a Google News search of “Bill Cosby and rape” and read several of the articles that you find in the results.
- Read the following articles that critique news coverage of this story:
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/bill_cosby_downfall.php
http://www.cjr.org/watchdog/bill_cosby_rape_charges.php
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33620336
- Write a post on the class blog discussing issues and challenges news organizations face when covering a story like this.
Week 3:
Monday, Sept. 14: no classes, Rosh Hashanah
Wednesday, Sept. 16: National Security and right to privacy (Pentagon Papers, Wikileaks, Snowden)
Week 4:
Monday, Sept. 21: Online assignment:
- Watch the documentary about Edward Snowden, “Citizenfour.” Movie is available in the Baruch Library 2nd floor media reserve desk. You can also screen it via HBO, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Hulu, etc. (There is a cost associated with some of these downloads).
- Read George Packer’s profile of Laura Poitras:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/20/holder-secrets
- Write a post on the class blog that answers the following questions: In the case of Edward Snowden, do you think news organizations had a duty to publish the classified documents he provided? Why? Include specific examples to back up your arguments from the article and documentary.
Wednesday, Sept. 23: no classes, Yom Kippur
Week 5:
Monday, Sept. 28: Online assignment: The New York Times and the Hillary Clinton email story. What went wrong?
- Read the following stories about the coverage:
http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/a-clinton-story-fraught-with-inaccuracies-how-it-happened-and-what-next/
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/us/editors-note-clinton-email-coverage.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
- Write a post on the class blog that explains what went wrong with this story and includes suggestions on how reporters and editors could have avoided this situation.
Wednesday, Sept. 30: A changing landscape – from pre-Internet to now (changing business models, 24-hour news cycle)
Week 6:
Monday, Oct. 5: Online assignment: Read profile of Arianna Huffington,
Also listen to following NPR podcast on sourcing,
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/01/140118092/as-media-lines-blur-everyone-must-be-an-editor
Read the following articles about the New Republic:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/real-crisis-journalism-new-republic
http://www.newstatesman.com/2015/07/death-magazine
No written assignment because you also should begin reading “Nickel and Dimed.” Finish book by Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Wednesday, Oct. 7: Inside the newsroom.
Week 7:
Monday, Oct. 12: no classes, Columbus Day
Wednesday, Oct. 14: Sourcing (discuss “Nickel and Dimed”)
Take-home midterm will be posted to class blog that week. Do not post answers to blog. Bring a hard copy of your responses to class on Monday, Oct. 19. No late midterms will be accepted.
Week 8:
Monday, Oct. 19: Online assignment:
- Read the following excerpts from Upton Sinclair’s 1906 book, “The Jungle” and Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation,” published in 2001.
The Jungle:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newcentury/5101
Fast Food Nation:
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Health/MostDangerousJob_FFN.html
- Write a post on the class blog that compares and contrasts the authors’ different approaches to covering the issue of food safety. Draw a conclusion on how effective each writer was in exposing abuses.
Wednesday, Oct. 21: Investigative reporting (muckrakers, Watergate, etc.) .
Week 9:
Monday, Oct. 26: Online assignment:
- Read the following stories – New York Times expose of nail salon practices, a criticism and the Times’
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/nyregion/at-nail-salons-in-nyc-manicurists-are-underpaid-and-unprotected.html
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/jul/25/nail-salons-new-york-times-got-wrong/
https://storify.com/michaelluo/rebuttal-to-the-rebuttal
- Write a post on the class blog that answers the following questions: Do you think the New York Times was fairly criticized for the way it handled its investigation of the nail salon industry? Why? Include specific examples from the different articles to back up your argument. How could the Times have avoided being criticized?
Wednesday, Oct. 28: Political reporting (guest speaker) (WATCH televised debate of the Republican presidential candidates the evening of Wed., Oct. 28. Also take a look at how it was covered online and in social media.
Week 10:
Monday, Nov. 2: Online assignment: Write a post on the class blog on how your opinions about how news organizations covered politics changed after hearing from the speaker and watching the televised debate. Include specific examples from the talk and debate.
Wednesday, Nov. 4: Foreign Reporting
Week 11:
Monday, Nov. 9: Online assignment: Case study Syria
- Read the following links, which are from the Committee to Protect Journalists, a non-profit organization that tracks the dangers of reporting across the world.
https://cpj.org/2015/04/attacks-on-the-press-covering-war-for-the-first-time-in-syria.php
https://cpj.org/2015/04/attacks-on-the-press-the-rules-of-conflict-reporting-are-changing.php
https://cpj.org/2014/02/attacks-on-the-press-syria-analysis.php
- Write a post on the class blog that answers the following question: Explain the dangers faced by journalists — both local and foreign — working in Syria. What responsibility does the news media have in covering the story there? How will the situation ever improve if the world is not informed about what is happening there?
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Plagiarism and fabrication/photo manipulation
Week 12:
Monday, Nov. 16: Online assignment:
- Read the following articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/how-taye-diggs-is-transforming-the-role-of-hedwig.html
- Write a post on the class blog about your reaction to these two articles and the issues dealing with sensitivity that they raise.
Wednesday, Nov. 18: Race, gender and sexuality – how to be sensitive (Assign international news group project)
Week 13:
Monday, Nov. 23: Online assignment:
- Listen to the following podcast and read the related articleshttp://www.radiolab.org/story/239549-yellow-rain/Huffington Post editorial on the “Yellow Rain” segment:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tanya-jo-miller/hey-radiolab-dont-let-peo_b_2020535.html
Poynter Institute (media think tank) blog post on reaction to the piece.
- Write a post on the class blog describing your reaction to the way the reporters handled the interviews of Eng Yang and Kao Kalia Yang. Do you think their actions were justified because they need to get both sides of the story? Were they fair and balanced in their reporting? Did they have as much of a responsibility to be sensitive to their sources as they did to getting to the truth? How could this story have been handled differently?
Wednesday, Nov. 25: Race, gender and sexuality – how to be sensitive (Assign international news group project)
Week 14:
Monday, Nov. 30 : Online assignment: STORIFY ASSIGNMENT – CURATING THE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Range and breadth of sources for news and information is almost limitless. News is being disseminated via social media, video channels, websites, broadcast airwaves, and the list goes on.
So for this exercise, I want you to dip into that wealth of information and “curate” a report around a particular news event.
Find ONE prominent story in the news. It should be a story that is currently developing so that you can follow it unfolding on social media. Using Storify – a simple, free online service – create a “Storify” story by collecting different stories/videos/Tweets/photos that different news organizations are posting about the story you choose to highlight.
Do not include content from regular people. Limit your search and posts to news organizations. One exception, you may also include some direct source content (i.e. mayor’s office announcement about East Village explosion). Keep your focus on news, not public reaction to news.
Some things you can look for:
- Latest news story. Find a story from a credible news source and look for one that includes a lot of good information, context and background.
- A photo slideshow
- A video report — could be from a news website, or something from YouTube, but only pick credible sources. Differentiate between an individual reposting a news story and a news organization posting a story.
- Two to three Tweets from different accounts/people — show how the story is unfolding on Twitter. See if you can find interesting people who have unique perspective to story.
- Some kind of analysis: Maybe it’s a news story that tries to explain what’s happening there, what does it all mean. Maybe it’s a list — 10 things about the story that you should know.
- Something you found in your search that you find interesting/enlightening….
Once you log in, create “New Story” use right sidebar to find content to add. Write a headline and sub-head.
Once you completed your “Storify” story, hit “PUBLISH.” Go to “EMBED,” “Mini Header,” then highlight and copy the embed code.
Go to class blog and create a new post. IMPORTANT STEP: In the upper right hand corner of the text box in the new post you will see two tabs: “Visual” and “Text.” Hit “Text” and only then paste in the embed code. Hit publish and your “Storify” story will show up.
Wednesday, Dec. 2: Social media and the future of news.
Week 15:
Monday, Dec. 7: Finish writing papers related to international news group project.
Wednesday, Dec. 9:Student presentations on international news research (International news papers are due)
Week 16:
Monday, Dec. 14: I will hold a class session in our usual classroom at our usual time with a review for the final.